Jul 9, 2014

The 5 Most Common Defects Found in Newly Constructed Homes

If you're someone who's building a home from scratch, you already
know all of the work that goes into it. Therefore, it's a pretty safe
assumption that once the contractors are done and they tell you that your house
is ready to move in, the last thing that you want to do is discover some
unexpected defects.

Window leaks. Something that you
should definitely make the time to inspect are your windows (and your doors). If
when you turn out the lights in a room, there appears to be light showing along
the windowsills, this usually means that your windows were not put in properly
or that they need to be sealed. It's important that you take care of this as
soon as possible so that you don't have to worry about spending more on energy
costs in order to keep the rooms in your house at a comfortable temperature.

Installation problems. Speaking of
installation problems, another fairly common defect is to have things like your
water heater, HVAC unit or gas furnace not put in as securely as it should.
Something that you can do to prevent this from being as much of an issue is to
request that each professional who worked on each item sign a form stating that
they can guarantee the dependability of their work. That way, if there is a
problem, you can get additional service done for free (sometimes, you can even
get some of your money back).

image: renopedia.wikia.com

Plumbing defects. One of the reasons
why you might want to consider conducting an energy audit, even right before
moving into your place, is because it can help you to detect if you happen to
have any plumbing defects such as a leaky toilet or faucet. One website that
can walk you through how to conduct your own energy audit is Energy.gov. Just
go to the site and put "DIY energy audit" in the search field.

Electrical hazards. When it comes to
a new construction home ,
something that you definitely don't want to overlook is the electrical system
that is inside of the house. If there happens to be things like ungrounded
outlets, no shock protection or lose wiring, this can all lead to potentially
hazardous situations. So, make sure that an electrician thoroughly inspects
your place. It's one of the best things that you can do for the safety of you
and your family.

Code violations. If a company
like Zoomlion Rough Terrain was
used to add onto your new house before you moved in, then that's a sign that
there were construction projects done that required permits. However, if there
happened to be certain ones that were overlooked, that would be considered a
code violation which is a serious warning sign for home inspectors. For more
information on how to handle code violations, visit HomeGuides.SFGate.com and
put "fix building code violations" in the search field.